AIA/LA encourages LAUSD to hire a California-licensed architect for the position of Director of Facilities Design

Last Updated: November 19, 2009

• Post a Comments (0)
• Share
• RSS Feed

## AIA/LA encourages LAUSD to hire a California-licensed architect for the position of Director of Facilities Design

For Immediate Release

Los Angeles, CA - November 19, 2009 - The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/LA) testified at the November 18, 2009 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Personnel Commission meeting that the District needs to hire a California-licensed architect to lead the LAUSD Facilities Design Division. AIA/LA is concerned that the qualifications, as adopted for this position, do not require that the successful candidate for this position be a registered architect in California.

AIA/LA believes that LAUSD benefits by nation-wide searches for executive positions. At the same time, the Chapter believes that a successful candidate for the Facilities Design Division, to be qualified and credible to the architecture profession and the public, must acknowledge through architectural licensure that California has seismic, school construction, and Architecture Practice Act requirements that are unique to the State.

LAUSD's Facility Division guides licensed California architects and allied professionals designing schools as well as licensed California architects and allied professionals within the Division. In California, only an architect can sign architecture drawings for schools. Because LAUSD's Director of Facilities Design, "manages, develops and coordinates the District's design process to ensure that plans are within the functional program, budgetary, environmental and legal (AIA/LA emphasis) requirements," of schools, AIA/LA feels that it is imperative that this person have - or very quickly obtain - the background, experience, and minimum knowledge of school construction requirements that California licensure ensures.

For more information contact Will Wright, Director of Government and Public Affairs at (213) 639-0777.

Contact: Will Wright Director, Government & Public Affairs (213) 639-0777 will@aialosangeles.org

0 Comments